Craig slugged .555 in 2011 and .522 in 2012, the marks of a true star. Now he can’t even crack a big league roster.

This is one of the most stunning player downturns in memory. Craig was never associated with PEDs. His sudden, and rather stunning, loss of ability is seemingly without explanation.

Craig suffered through a foot injury in September 2013, but appeared healthy just a month later in the World Series. Playing against Boston, Craig batted 16 times and collected six hits for a .375 batting average.

Though he did not play in the field, Craig served as the designated hitter at Fenway Park and as a pinch hitter at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Clearly, his foot was not affecting his ability to hit.

But Craig started the 2014 season slowly with St. Louis before being traded to Boston at the deadline. His foot seemed to give him some problems after arriving in Boston, to which his poor performance was attributed.

However, he was fully healthy last season, yet continued to struggle anyway.

It's as if he suddenly forgot how to hit, or as if his foot injury somehow affected his vision.

The concern is not just Craig's rapid loss of ability at the big league level; it’s his tepid performance against minor league pitching as well.

After going 7-for-52 (.135) with one extra-base hit to start last season, Craig was demoted in early May and spent the majority of the 2015 season at Triple-A Pawtucket. There he managed to hit a respectable .274, but with with a meager .718 OPS and just four home runs in 93 games.

That’s not the sort of stuff that warrants a big league promotion.

The Red Sox owe Craig a total of $20 million over the next two years ($9 million this season, $11 million next), yet he is no longer on the 40-man roster. He is in camp this spring merely as a non-roster invitee.

Craig and the Red Sox can only hope that he gets off to a fast start this spring and creates some interest for another team. Even then, the Red Sox will end up picking up the majority of the remaining contract, paying Craig to play for someone else.

What an odd and unfortunate situation. This is surely not what the Red Sox -- or Craig for that matter -- were expecting when they acquired him in July, 2014 in exchange for John Lackey.

Back then, Craig seemed like a prized hitter, one who would solidify the heart of the Sox lineup and torment AL pitchers for years to come.

Less than two years later, he is merely an afterthought, and a mystery without explanation.

Moncada is the top second base prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. He batted .278/.380/.438 in 81 games for Greenville last season. The 20-year-old also had 49 stolen bases in 52 attempts.

Devers is the second-best third base prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, Devers has outstanding bat speed and a huge offensive upside. The 19-year-old is known for a great plate approach, having struck out just 84 times in 115 games in 2015.

Benintendi is the fifth-best outfield prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The Red Sox took him No. 7 overall last year, and he hit a combined .313/.416/.556 across two levels. The 21-year-old is expected to move quickly through Boston's farm system.

Espinoza is the tenth-best right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. He advanced to low Class A at age 17 in his pro debut, hitting triple digits with his fastball and showing advanced secondary pitches and command. He is still quite young, but he could be very special.

Travis is the tenth-best first base prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The 22-year-old reached Double-A and hit .307/.381/.452 in 2015, his first full pro season. He could be vying for playing time with the Red Sox by 2017.

The rankings were compiled with input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. They are based on an “analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams."

A weighted scoring system is used to determine which farm system has the most elite talent, awarding 100 points to the team with the No. 1 prospect, 99 to No. 2 and so on.

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About Me

I graduated from Emerson, where I studied writing and broadcasting. I'm a native Bostonian, and I work as a freelance writer. I have written for Baseball Digest and other magazines, newspapers, and Websites across the country. Kennedy's Commentary is dedicated to Red Sox stats, trivia, highlights, and moves I'd like to see the team make - and in some cases not make. This is a forum for my views on the Boston Red Sox, and a place to share my fervent passion with other like-minded fans throughout Red Sox Nation.